Auto Hunting

Each of the candidates has been provided a supply box before they were ushered into different domes.

Each dome had a different environment, depending on what has been selected for the candidate. There were numerous entrances to the domes, and candidates walked in separately.

Click.

As soon as the entrance closed, Yoo-seong opened the supply box.

There was only one thing in it.

An anonymous suit.

The supervisor’s voice echoed through the broadcast. [You have five minutes to equip the suit.]

If a candidate is not prepared by the end of the five-minute limit, they will be dropped out of the test automatically. Supervisors will drag them out of the domes.

The anonymous suit was similar to the functional sportswear worn by Yoo-seong. It fit the body tightly but allowed free movement.

But,

Jiing!

As soon as Yoo-seong wore it, a shield feature installed on the suit was activated.

Anonymous suit (special modification for testing)-★★

Like monsters, equipment used by hunters is rated with stars.

The purpose of the anonymous suit is to completely hide the identity of the wearer.

People in this suit can only be seen as black silhouettes.

It was also impossible to communicate inside the suit, as conversations sound distorted unless the wearer is tuned in to a dedicated frequency.

Naturally, there was no frequency activated for the candidates in the test.

Each of them had no identity.

They will only see each other as black silhouettes, like killers in a mystery cartoon.

Yoo-seong recalled the rules of the examination that was discussed to them.

“If the wearer receives a fatal blow, the suit will release an electric shock…”

The shielding function will be released, the candidate will be exposed and will be considered as a drop-out.

Supervisors will quickly evacuate the dropped-out candidate from the zone. Meanwhile, the person who took out a candidate will be awarded 1 point.

If you take out another candidate, you will get the points he/she had accumulated.

At the end of the time limit, only the top 10 candidates in the dome will be considered as passed.

Yoo-seong looked around inside the dome and admired it silently.

The environment selected for him was a jungle.

It was perfect. There were countless species of plants, some he had only seen in television and books.

There was also tropical moisture within the dome. Above Yoo-seong is a blue sky.

The dome is capable of showing night and day scenes, complete with the appropriate heat of the sun at a particular time.

The time limit is 72 hours.

A thorough test of survival, where the candidates had to find their supply of water, food, and rest.

I have to perfectly apply all the survival techniques I learned while preparing for the exam, Yoo-seong thought.

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound from the shrubs behind him.

Yoo-seong immediately turned around.

“…….!”

There was a black silhouette who froze upon seeing him, seemingly as surprised as Yoo-seong was.

Yoo-seong was a bit embarrassed. He knew that inside of the black silhouette was another ordinary student like him.

The silhouette recovered from his shock and immediately picked up a big tree branch, grasping it tightly in his hands.

However, Yoo-seong was much faster.

-Press button to auto-hunt.-

Yoo-seong pressed the button.

…

“Wow, that guy is really not a joke.”

The test dome has a field where the examinations take place, as well as waiting rooms where candidates prepare themselves.

It also has a control room where test operations and supervision are conducted.

But there is a fact that is not known to the public, but an open secret between hunters.

There was also an observation room in test domes.

The price of admission is not very high. Anyone with a hunter’s license can use it for a small fee. The whole process of the practical test can be observed from this room.

There was even an option for remote viewing, where hunters can watch the examinations without going to the dome. In this case, the fee charged was much more expensive.

Watching from the observation room is a tradition with a great practical purpose. The aim was to accurately evaluate the beginners who will enter the market.

Since a hunter’s job is of high value, the rise and fall of an organization can depend on topnotch scouting and recruitment.

Hunters were standing around in the observation room, discussing the examination.

“I didn’t know the test already takes this long?”

“Yeah, it’s not a joke.”

[17 hours have elapsed since the start of the practical test.]

This year’s performance test was an unprecedented hit among on-site and remote viewers.

Shortly after the guidelines have been discussed to the candidates, the official hunter website posted about the new rules of this year’s test.

It has caught the attention of everyone in the industry.

It will be hell for this year’s candidates.

However, this also guarantees the quality of the passing candidates.

As such, small and medium-sized teams and firms sent team leaders to the field to observe firsthand.

There were nearly a thousand monitors in the observation room. Ordinary people will find it hard to follow the action.

However, hunters are superhumans who can hunt all night long inside dangerous cracks.

In their case, it was possible to accurately distinguish the silhouettes just by their body movement.

The walking speed or stride of length; how a candidate wields their fist or foot or a blunt weapon…

Each one of the hunters was watching their favorite candidates across multiple monitors, but the majority was gathered together in front of one screen.

It was only a rumor that had spread several months ago, but it was confirmed today by Lee Jae-hak.

A sister.

A natural with the physical prowess and aptitude.

It was said that Lee Jae-hak had been hunting for the past few months just to teach his younger sister, a super-genius comparable to him.

The sister doesn’t have a license yet, and nobody knew how she looked like.

The Association however reached an agreement with Lee Jae-hak to allow her to join him.

It is said that even at her pure state, she could catch a three-star monster.

It was clear that she was the favorite to top the examination. In fact, her score is indeed at the top of the leaderboards.

However, Lee Jae-hak’s eyes were not focused on her screen.

He was looking at someone else…

[68 hours have elapsed since the start of the practical test.]

…

Yoo-seong was making dumplings.

He learned it in the Academy. In the jungle, several plants had an effect like a temporary analgesic, and provide good calories.

Such plants could be pounded and mixed with water, to be eaten in bite-sized pieces, like dumplings.

The instructor advised them not to make more than three at a time if there was no way to carry it, but the advice is now meaningless to Yoo-seong.

He looked at his slot.

-17 dumplings-

He didn’t need to eat all of them right now. He’s already feeling full after eating several. But he had to be vigilant until the end and prepare as much as he can.

Such small preparations can make a difference between winning and losing.

His problem right now is that he was too sleepy.

He thought he had trained long enough to be able to hold off sleeping, but it was a different story in this wild and natural environment.

He was in a constant state of anxiety, and have been fighting and avoiding other candidates. He had already captured five of them.

How much longer…

His eyes were drooping with fatigue.

I want to go home. I want to wash and lie down…

Suddenly, he remembered where he was.

“Wake up, Oh Yoo-seong,” he muttered to himself and bit his lips hard.

It was too much. His lips were bloody.

But thanks to the pain, his senses were heightened once more, and his sleepiness was gone.

He heard a rustling sound again.

The approach was completely different from the others. It was almost imperceptible.

Yoo-seong immediately stood up and stared at the new opponent.

“Grat grit.” Unlike the others, this one talked to him. The anonymous suit however, is distorting what he’s saying.

“Grigriigriiii.”

What is he saying? Yoo-seong thought.

The words were definitely not meant to offer him a compromise. The opponent was holding a roughly crafted wooden sword.

Yoo-seong bit his tongue again, feeling the fatigue and pain he felt over the past 68 hours.

The button was right in front of his eyes.

If I catch him, I can go home. I think…

-Press button to auto-hunt.-

With all his might, Yoo-seong hit the button.

I hope he is the last one…

…

“That’s crazy!”

“Are they really pure?!”

“What the hell is that?”

Everyone’s eyes were focused on Dome 2.

Yoo-seong is facing the best candidate in the examination.